Folding typewriter



C. 0. NOACK.

FOLDING TYPEWRITER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1921.

1 433, 41, Panama 001. 311, 1922.

momtw Patented Get. 31, 1922.

STATES inen PATENT orrica CARL O. NOACK, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGIIOR TO THE HAMMOND TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING TYPEW'BITER.

Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 453,862.

To all wit-omit may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL O. NoAoK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Stamford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Folding Typewriters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding typewriters and more particularly to a machine of this class, such as is shown in Patent No. 1,284,71a granted to Edward Krusius on November 12, 1918. i

It is the primary purpose and object of the present invention to provide a foldable typewriting machine having a frame composed ofitwo jointed or hinged sections, one of the frame sections carrying the key board and improved means for locking the latter frame section and the keyboard, either in an extended operative position or in a folded inoperative position.

It is another object of myuinvention to materially'improve and simplify the latching or locking means for the foldable section of the machine as it is disclosed in the patent above referred to and to effectually secure and hold the foldable section in its folded position, and obviate the possibility of its accidental release.

The invention further contemplates such improvements in the prior patented machine as will enable the same to be manufactured at less cost, with greater compactness of the several parts and decreased liability of the breakage or disarrangement thereof so that the necessity of more or less frequent repairs to the machine parts is eliminated.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention consists in the improved form, construction and relative arrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

of the invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure '1 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the typewriter showing the foldable keyboard and carrying frame therefor in normal operative position;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the keyboard and the pivoted frame section folded; t

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail elevation of the pivotal or hinged connection between the two sections of the frame Flgure at is a fragmentary plan view.

' Referring in detail to the drmving, 5 dcsignates the main section of the machine frame upon which the platen carriage and typemechanism (not shown) is mounted or supported. This body section of the frameat its oppositesides and at its forward end is provided with the supporting feet 6 which areadapted to be secured in any suitable manner to a part of the case in which the machine is contained and by which it may be conveniently transported from place to place.

The front section 7 of the machine frame in which the keyboard is arranged is connected at its opposite sides and at the upper rear corners thereof to the side bars of the main frame section 5 by means of the pivot bolts 8, said bolts being journaled to rotate in lugs 9 secured to the frame5. To each side' bar of the forward frame section 7 at the rear end thereof a quadrant 10 is rigidly fixed. These quadrants are rigidly fined upon the pivot bolts 8 by means of the nuts 11 threaded upon the inner ends of said bolts.

quadrants are each provided with notches or recesses 12 and 13 respectively, said notches being located adjacent to the opposite ends of the curved ed e of the quadrant. It will be observed thatt 1e notch 12 is substantially rectangular in shape whereas the notch 13 is flaring and has its inner edge, in dicated at lh'obliquely inclined and gradually merging into the curved edge of the quadrant. The purpose of this construction will be later referred to.

To the inner side ofeach side bar of the frame section 5, at its forward end, a laterally projecting guide lug 15 is fixed, said lug having an opening therein through which a vertically shiftable plate 16 is freely movable, said plate having formed thereon a locking rib 17 which is also movable through the 1 guide vplate 15. This rib is provided edges of the key levers.

sections of the frame. the partsthe rod 25 is held in an upwardly with a cylindrical extension 18 which is movable in a guide opening 19 provided in the supporting foot 6. of the plate 16, a shank 20 of a button or finger piece 21 is securely fixed, said shank being vertically movable in a slot 22 provided in the frame 5. The plate 16 and locking rib 17 are normally urged upwardly by means of the expansion spring 23 surrounding the cylindrical extension 18 of the locking rib below the guide lug 15.

In the pivotally movable forward sections 7 of the frame the key levers 2a are fulcrruned, thev mounting of these levers as shown in the drawing being illustrative of a well known make of typewriter and similar to that shown in the patent above referred to. These key levers when the key board is in operative position, as shown in Figure 1, are adapted to -co-act .with other means for actuating the type mechanism. I, therefore, provide the rod 25 eX-- tending across the keyboard for the purpose of holding the several key levers 2 1 against displacement when the movable section 7 of the frame and the keyboard are raised to a vertical folded position. This holding means for the key levers is similar to that shown in the above mentioned'patcm, the ends of the rod 25 being movable through the lugs 26 on the movable frame Section Springs 27 ntel-pose between these lugs and the collars '28 fired on the ends ofthe :rod '25 normally tend to urge said rod downwardly so that its medial por tion has bearing Contact upon the upper this rod are adapted to ride over the forwardly projecting plates 29 which are fixed to the foot members 6.

In the operation of the machine as above described, when the frame section 7 and the keyboard is in the extended operative position seen in Figure 1, the upper ends of the locking rib 17 are engaged in the notches 12 of the quadrant 10 and the said frame section and keyboard are thus secured or locked agalnst a pivotal movement.

This locking means provides a very rigid and substantial connection between the two In this position of projected position so that the key levers 24 maybe freely actuated. When it is desired to fold the machine to compactly position the frame 7 and the keyboard with relation to the body of the machine, the buttons or finger pieces 21 are forced down- Wardly thereby disengaging the locking ribs 17 from the notchesin the quadrants 10. The frame 7 is then swung upwardly to a substantially vertical position as seen in Figure 2 until the ribs 17 ride into the notches 13 of the quadrants. The springs 23 urging the locking ribs upwardly into To the upper end- The lower ends of the notches operate to hold the foldable frame section and the keyboard in the folded position against the possibility of its ccidental release during the transportation Therefore, there will be machine which would probably result in damage or injury to the parts even through the carrying case containing the machine might be subjected to considerable shock or jar. It will be understood that promptly upon the lifting of the frame section.7 to fold the same.- to its .'ertic-al position. the springs 27 act to move the rod 25 into engagement upon the upper edges of the key levers 2i and thus securely hold said levers against displacement from their fulcrun'is.

Vhen it is again desired .to use the ma- .chine,it is not necessary to operate .the buttons 21, but the frame section 7 is merely grasped and swung downwardly. Owlngto the inclined edges 1 1 of .the notches .13ithe locking ribs 17 will be forced out of :these notches, thereby releasing the frame for downward movement to the horizontal po sition. hen disposed in this operative position the springs 23 urge the locking ribs 17 upwardly into the. notches 12 thereby securely locking the keyboard carrying frame section in operative position. As the frame approaches this position the ends of the rod 25 ride upon the upper surfaces of the plates 29, thereby forcing said rod upwardly and" releasing it from holding engagement upon the key levers 2d.

From the foregoingdescription, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of .theiimproved folding typewriting machine will :be

clearly understood. The. construction as herein described affords a very compact arrangement of the several parts so that they are not liable to injury or accidental displacement which would necessitate frequent repairs. It will also be appreciated that by means of the present improvement. greater rigidity of the keyboard carrying frame section when in operative position is secured than is possible in the patented construction above referred to. It will further be seen that since ,the present invention servesto' also look this movable frame section in its folded position, relative movement thereof, with a possibility of damage to the parts the mechanism during transportation is also obviated. It is manifest that the present invention is of more or less general application and is not necessarily limited to'any particular type of writing machine or to the precise mounting and arrangement of the key levers as indicated in the drawing. Accordingly, it is to be understood th at in order to adapt my improvement for use in connection with different types of machines various minor mecha1iical changes may be necessary. I, there fore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate modifications in the form, proportion and relative arrangement of the several parts as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a folding typewriter, a main frame, a key-board carrying frame foldable with relation to the main frame, and locking means for said keyboard carrying frame including a part fixed to one of said frames, and a. manually shiftable part mounted upon the other frame to coact with said .lixed part and rigidly lock the keyboard carrying frame in an. extended operative position, said latter frame being released for movement to its folded position by the manual operation of said shiftable part, and said fixed and shiftable parts having coacting means to retain the keyboard carrying frame against an accidental movement to its operative position but acting to automatically move the manually shiftable part to its re leased position upon the initial positive movement of the keyboard carrying frame towards an extended operative position with relation to the main frame.

2. In a folding typewriter, a main frame, a keyboard carrying frame pivotally connected to the main frame and adapted to be folded with respect thereto, a quadrant fixed to the keyboard carrying frame and a manually operable locking element to co-actwith said quadrant and lock the keyboard carrying frame in either its operative position or in its folded position against casual movement with respect to the main frame.

In a folding typewriter, a main frame, a keyboardcarrying frame pivotally connected to the main frame and adapted to be folded with respect thereto, a quadrant fixed to the keyboard carrying frame and concen trically related. to the pivot thereof and a manually operable element mounted upon the main frame and adapted to co-act with said quadrant to lock the keyboard carrying frame in an extended operative positionwith relation to themain frame.

at. In a folding typewriter, a main frame, a keyboard carrying frame pivotally connected to the main frame and adapted to be folded with respect thereto, a quadrant fixed to the keyboard carrying frame and concern trically related to its pivot, said quadrant having spaced notches, and a spring pressed locking element mounted upon the main frame and adapted to engage in one of the notches of said quadrant to lock the keyboard carryingframe in an extended operative position and to engage the other notch of the quadrant to lock said keyboard carrying frame in a folded inoperative position against casual relative movement, said latter notch having a cam edge to co-act with the locking element and disengage said element from the notch upon a positive movement of the keyboard carrying frame from its folded position toward its operative position.

,5. In a folding typewriter, a main frame, a keyboard carrying frame pivotally con nected to each side of the main frame at its forward end and adapted to be folded to a substantially vertical inoperative position with respect to the main frame, a quadrant fixed to each side of the keyboard carrying frame in concentric relation to the pivot and extending upon the inner side of the main frame, each of the quadrants having spaced notches therein and manually operable spring pressed lockingelements mounted upon the main frame and adapted for engagement in the notches of said quadrants to lock the keyboard carrying frame against casual movement in either its extended operative position or in its folded inoperative position.

' Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

CARL O. NOACK, 

